Underfunding Shame of the Lib/Lab Pact at Holyrood - Orkney Starts to Feel the Bite

Orkney Tory Scottish Parliamentary Candidate Helen Gardiner is calling for the Lib/Lab Scottish Executive to account over the shame of underfunding of Orkney Islands Council.

Helen is urging people in Orkney to "make a clear link between the issue of underfunding and the current crisis in the provision of care for the elderly," saying that "it time to demand that underfunding be brought to an end."

Helen said "We all know that Orkney has been under funded to the tune of £600 per person in comparison with comparable council areas like Shetland and the Western Isles. That has been the case for 10 years now but it's continuously glossed over.

It's blatantly unfair - no ifs and no buts. Lib Dem representation of Orkney in Edinburgh has failed to reverse it which is shameful as it should be the priority. Any MSP worth his salt should push the issue of underfunding of Orkney to top of the agenda, not just an excuse to have another working lunch in Edinburgh or write another letter."

Helen added "We hear time and time again that care for the elderly is not working with many elderly people being fleeced of their capital when they go into care."

"We especially know about the plight of some elderly people placed in care homes in Caithness because there isn't the service available on the island. We also know about respite care costs being reformulated with many now facing big bills. 3,500 people signed a petition protesting about this and asking the Council to spend its reserve money to sort it out."

"Of course, the Council says it cannot spend its reserve money on providing statutory services, that those services should instead be funded by money it gets from the Scottish Executive Capital Programme and that there just isn't enough in that SE allocated pot. We all know the reserve fund is not for statutory services, rather for Orcadian development."

"While I fully appreciate this distinction, I think it's time that Orkney took a bold step in sorting this out. Elderly folk need help now, not 3-4 years down the line. The agreement that brought about underfunding 10 years ago must be revisited as it is clearly unfair.

"I propose to take the issue of underfunding a priority issue because Orkney's elderly are feeling the effects now. It's 10 years since the formula was agreed and times have changed. Orkney needs strong political support to enable the Council to release its oil reserve fund to deal with the care home issue now on the basis that this is an exceptional case. However the trick is to do this solely on the basis of informing the Scottish Executive in very clear terms that it has 2-3 years to revisit the funding formula viz a viz Orkney."